Method of operating vapor electric devices.



P, H. THOMAS. METHOD 0F OPERATING VAPOR ELECTRIC DEVICES.

. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3l, 1905.

Patentd Jan. l0, EQU;

n O il sure.

leaner H. Tetonas,

lie? @Fiel i 0F MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSGNOR TO COPLE HEWTT ELE@ TREC CMPANY, F NEW YORK, N. Y., A C'QEORATION 0E NEVI YQLK.

METHOD OF GPERATING VAPOR ELECTRIC BEVCES.

rigual application lefl February 10, 1904, Serial No. 192,926.

Specification of Letters latent,

Patented Jari, iltl, Iivided and this application filed March 31, 1905. semi :un/253,170.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that l, Pianor- H. Timmins, a citizen of the YUnited States, and resident of lvlontclair, county ol Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and uset'ul Improvements in Methods o: Operatingvapor Electric Devices, et' which the following is a specification.

The phenomena of negative electrode resistance in mercury Vapor apparatus designed either for lighting, current rectifying or other purposes, is new a matter of knowledge. 'It is known, moreover, that Jfor the successful and economical production of light or for the operation of the apparatus for other purposes) the negative electrode rcsistance should generally be broken down for starting,` purposes and afterward maintained in that state," This matter presents considerable diiiicultjx. under certain circumstances, since, when'the negative electrode 1s cold, or when tue device 1s operated by small currents, the mercury has a strong tendency to increase its resistance as a negatire electrode, in a inarlred degree. il/hen, however, the mercury is heated and keptlicated, it loses this tendency toward au increase, of its resistance, 'A ccordingly, it is, at f' thought, nioredesirable to design mercury vapor l; ,ips and other mercury vap' r apparatus in such a manner that in nornial operation the negative electrode should be maintain-ed at a very higl'i ten'rperaturc. This, however, is not the case, for the reason that it, res lts in a loss or' etiiciency in the apparatus, due te the fact that the vvapor pressure Within the apparatus becomes so great under such circumstances as to intro duce a considerable electrical resistance to the passage of `the current.

It is tl e object of the presentinvcntion to combine the advantages due to a hea ted neg ative electrode with those due to the presence of aproper and economical vapor presi This result is accomplished by introducing between the negative electrode and the operating portion oit' the chamber of the apparatus a comparatively narrow inlet passage, so that although the vapor pressure at the surface of the negative electrode may be very great, on account of its high temperature, yet, in the chamber itself, ou account of its greater cooling capacity, the vapor pressure may he of any desired value. The

function of the nari-ouY throat or. passage above described that of prewutiug a, too rapid flow of Vapor frein the negative elec trede to the operatin chamber. There is, of course, a slight lossoiE eliiciency due to the passage of the current from the surface ot' the negative electrode to the Athroat through a high vapor pressure, but this may be made negligible by a proper proportioning;V ol the apparatus, the distance between the surface of the negative electrode and the mouth ot the throat being short. Moreover, by properly proportioniug the heat dissiputing cupacity ot' the negative electrode aud the nurrou7 throat, and that ot the main position oi` the chamber, any desired electrode tuini'ufra ture may be attained .and any desired vapor pressure secured. in the operating chamber of the apparatus.

I have illustrated my ii'iveution as applied on the one hand to a mercury vapor lainp and on the other hand to a converter or current rectifier, Figure l heinev a sectional View of a lamp embodyingmy invention; and Fig. Q being a similar View of' a current rectitying apparatus.

Referring; to the first ligure olf ings, 1 is the main or oiieraiing a mercury vapor lamp, 2 a solid contained therein and mounted upon a leiui- Wire, 3, passing tlirougli the wall cil he chamber. The negative electrode, ft, is oi;

mercury and is also provided with a leadwire shown at 5.

rEhe mercury electrode il contained in a receptacle, 6, which is connected to the chainloer 1 by a narrow throat, 7.

The lamp described may he started by any suitable means and it the proportions the receptacle G, the throat l and the chamber l and the electrode lllie properly made, so that 'the heat radiating capacity oi the eral parts is spited to the purposes in vieu', the electrode a may be caused to run het While at the sanietiine no excess of vapor will pass over into the chamber l owing' to the presence of the throat Z which chokes the passage of too much vapor. In this Way the appropriate vapor pressure can be ineintained in the main or operating charnh i" at the saine time the advantages of. a negative electrode fwhich reduces the normal negative electrode resistance are obtained.

Qrepresents a small converter haring cation Serial Number 192,926,

Q es

two positive electrodes, 8 and 9, lead-wires, 10 and 11, a negative electrode 4, a main operating chamber-1, a receptacle 6,'a, leadwire 5 and a throat, 7. The operation of this apparatus will be clearly understood in view'of the description given to the operation of the lamp illustrated in Fig. 1.

I do not wish to limit myself to the employment of mercury as the material for the negative electrode, it being understood that any suitable conducting volatilizable material might be employed.

In the description above, it hasl been assumed that this invention is used for the purpose of improving the operation of a vapor lamp and that it is desired to operate with the negative electrode at a high prcssure and the vapor path at a lower pressure. In some cases, however, the conditions may hel reversed and the high pressure he required or desirable` in the vapor path rather than in the electrode. In this case, the difference in pressure is made possible by means of the narrow' throat, as already eirplained.`

In other words, my invention is not limited to the specific` type off-:apparatus described, hut is intended to include a-method for producing a difference in pressure between two chambers hy means of a throat so narrow as to prevent a free passage of the vapor from one to another.

This application is a division of my appli# filed February 10, 1904, in which parent application claims are made upon the apparatus disclosed herein.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a vacuum electric apparatus possessing a vaporizahle negative electrode having the quality of negative electrode starting reluCtance, the method of operation which coi-isists in developing vapor from the vaporiz-- able electrode, increasing its pressure and temperature in the immediate neighborhood of the electrode and permitting a relatively free flow' or" current in regions more remote 4portion ot the vapors generated.

vapor electric apparatus a comparatively low resistance and a proper vapor pressure, which consists 1n generating the vapor from from the electrode lo7 there condensing taining near the electrode a relatively large 3. The method of producing in a gas. or f a special electrode, cooling said vapors` .in a.

region remote from the electrode, and maintaining the temperature of the special electrode higher than that corresponding to the vapor pressure in the remote region.

4, In a vacuum electric apparatus in which positive and negative electrodes are rela- PERCY H. lI-IOMAS.

IVM. H. CAPEL,

l 'Witnessesz' l GEORGE H. Srocnnnmen.

tively widely separated, the method of op- A 

